Dave Rennie has made no secret of his desire to get Brodie Retallick in his All Blacks squad this year, stating as much on his first day in the job.
Scott Robertson was also quick to address New Zealand Rugby’s no-go policy on selecting overseas All Blacks early in his tenure, as he wanted to get Richie Mo’unga on board, and if that was a mistake, Rennie has made it on day one.
As things stand, the All Blacks coach can only select an overseas-based player if they are on a short-term sabbatical and are contracted to NZ Rugby. Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane’s stints at Leinster are prime examples, with Ardie Savea and Anton Lienert-Brown in Japan at Kobe being two more.
England, Ireland and New Zealand insist that players must ply their club trade locally to be eligible for the national team, whilst Wales have a threshold of sorts in place. Australia have ditched the ‘Giteau Law’ while the Springboks got rid of their policy when hiring Rassie Erasmus as head coach back in 2018.
Unions denying their head coaches the opportunity to select overseas-based players has been a hot topic, not just in New Zealand, and NZ Rugby have been urged to move with the times.
If they thought that Robertson’s dismissal would end the conversation around All Blacks abroad, they were sorely mistaken as Rennie opened Pandora’s Box on day one, openly expressing his desire to get Retallick involved.
“I’d certainly jump at it.”
The duo have a history of working together, having done so at the Chiefs and now in Japan with Kobe, while Sam Cane could very well be on Rennie’s radar too.
“I’ll comment on Brodie Retallick. I get to see him train and play every week. He’s stronger than he’s ever been,” the new head coach told reporters at his first press conference.
“He’s fitter than he’s ever been. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to, but there’s no doubt you want to win a World Cup, ideally, you’ve got your best players available.
“Obviously, Richie’s (Mo’unga) coming back, which would be good. He’s been in great form in Japan. And yeah, look, certainly you have someone like a Brodie Retallick coming into the environment. I reckon it’ll really grow the whole group, and if I had the chance to get him back, I’d certainly jump at it.”
Eddie Jones, who keeps a close eye on the action in the Japanese Rugby League One competition due to his role with the Brave Blossoms, said that it would be the first thing he would do if he were the next All Blacks coach, dismissing any concerns about his age.
At 34 years old, Retallick is hardly a spring chicken but Rennie doubled down on his take that he is in the best shape of his career and wants to get him involved.
He did so in an interview with All Blacks legend Jeff Wilson on Sky Sports NZ when he was asked about selecting overseas players and possible players that he’d be looking at recruiting back to New Zealand.
Eddie Jones’ verdict on the star New Zealand should ‘pay double’ to return
According to Rennie, Retallick is a player that has ‘earned the right’ to cash in abroad and has served the likes of the Chiefs and All Blacks long enough to be afforded some leeway. He adds that if a new policy was carefully implemented, it wouldn’t result in a mass exodus.
“I think it’s a case-by-case situation, but if you look at South Africa, just about all their players play overseas, and Argentina are the same. The Aussies will grab a few, Scotland can grab from anywhere and they’re a very good side,” he explained.
“I think there’ll be players who earned the right to go overseas and cash in, who have committed to the country with Super Rugby and to the All Blacks, so obviously, a lot of people keep talking about Brodie, I don’t know if I could talk him into coming back for a World Cup, but I’ve already mentioned it to him.
“Richie [Mo’unga] is coming back regardless, so that would be good. 110 former Super Rugby players are playing overseas in big competitions. A lot of those guys now have represented other countries or wouldn’t tick a box to come back and represent the All Blacks, but there’s a handful that do.”
Eager to have the discussion
Robertson said at the start of his tenure that he was approaching the situation around overseas players with an ‘open mind’ and Rennie has a similar outlook and ready to have the debate with the hierarchy.
“I’d be keen to have a discussion around that,” he said.
“I realise it’d be a big move for New Zealand rugby, but I don’t see it being a mass exodus just because you can pick a player from overseas, that’d have to fit some sort of criteria.
“Someone like Brodie Retallick has played over 100 games for the Chiefs and All Blacks, 12 years for each, he’s earned the right to go overseas and cash in and he’s fitter than he’s ever been. He’s never been that strong in a gym. He’ll forgive me for that, but he’s stronger.
“Phil Healey who is our head of performance, and he’s worked with me for a lot of years at the Chiefs, Glasgow and Kobe, has made really big shifts around a lot of those boys and so he’s in phenomenal form, Brodie.
“The leadership and the aura that he would bring would be massive.”
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Can Rennie change Retallick’s mind?
Rennie spoke glowingly about his time with the Glasgow Warriors and what he learnt while coaching abroad in Scotland, Australia and Japan and clearly sees the benefits that players can draw from it too.
While he has already mentioned to Retallick that he is eager to get him in the mix, he might have a tough time convincing the veteran second rower.
Unless a change in policy allows the lock to feature for the All Blacks while under contract in Japan, Retallick plans to end his career in the Land of the Rising Sun.
“I think my time is done, to be honest,” he told Sport Nation’s Millsy and Guy when asked whether he could return to the All Blacks’ fold.
“At times, you think, could you still do it? But at the end of the day, the body is getting a bit older, and all that time away from home, I think those days are done. I’ll see my time out in Japan, boys. I can confirm that.”
Does Rennie’s appointment also possibly change things for Retallick? Only time will tell. It wasn’t enough of a carrot for his old locking partner Sam Whitelock when Robertson took charge.